The TeachTrix team made the now annual trip to Laguna Seco for the 2012 MotoGP to perform alongside the industry’s other top riders for the throngs of crowds that flocked to see this year’s action.  Featuring 3 days of mind blowing stunts and the fastest racers on the planet, MotoGP is one of the top stops during the year.  Teach performed flawlessly all weekend in his usual energetic and engaging manner, even breaking out the 2012 S1000RR in stock trim for some drifting in the last show of the weekend.  The fans were stoked to be able to catch the RR in action and the weekend went off without a hitch.  A big thanks to all the fans and friends that came out to support!  For more pictures and behind-the-scenes action, be sure to check out www.teachtrix.com  

Round 2 XDL Championship – Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA

Stop number 2 on the XDL Championship tour had us back at the infamous Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA after a 3-year hiatus.  The Queen Mary has been a terrific venue in the past and the hype leading up to this event promised another banger.  Upon arrival late Thursday night, it quickly became apparent that the riding area and conditions left much to be desired.  Combining the tricky surface with yet another different rear tire made it difficult for Teach to get the S1000 under control enough to consistently approach the edge of danger, as is his customary style.  Not one to let obstacles slow him down, Teach made sure to get in as much practice time as possible and it paid off by the end of the weekend.  After a solid 4^th place at the end of the first round, Teach found himself in prime position to make a run at the podium.  Unfortunately, it was not to be as a flipped stoppie 30 seconds into the 2^nd run cost Teach the podium.  He picked the bike up and finished in spectacular fashion by lighting some hay bales on fire after a vicious burnout.  A respectable 7^thplace for run two left Teach with his second consecutive 5^th place overall on the weekend.  Teach came away pleased with the results and said, “While I always want to put my S1000 on top of the box, coming away with a  5^thoverall under the circumstances is a satisfying result for me.  I’m not sure what the practice time will be like in the next two weeks, but I look forward to shredding in Indianapolis – one of my favorite venues.”  Be sure to check out Teach and all of his shenanigans at www.TeachTrix.com!

XDL-DC Round 1

Round one of the XDL National Championship Series was held at Maryland International Raceway in conjunction with the MIROCK Drag Racing Series.  Going into the weekend, Teach was coming off 3 months of steady show performances and was feeling good with a freshly setup freestyle BMW S1000RR.  The main event, XDL Cup, consists of 2, two minute runs scored motocross style to determine the winner.  After qualifying 5^thin the rain, Teach was able to lay down the power on a sunny Sunday afternoon and finished in a respectable 6^th.  After making some adjustments, Teach improved early on in his second run, but was unable to finish it cleanly, leaving him down in 8^thposition.  Despite the disappointing scores, Teach walked away with a solid 5^th place on the overall for the weekend.  Teach will be riding at Mazda Laguna Raceway for the MotoGP races before heading down to the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA for Round 2 of XDL.  For more information and behind the scenes action, visit www.TeachTrix.com and stay on the gas!

BMW of Fort Worth Update

After being in New England all winter, it was nice to get out of the gloom and head down to the Dallas-Fort Worth area for…some rain!  I arrived Thursday night after 12 hours of travel, went directly to bed, and woke up to the slickest surface I’ve encountered to date – rain covered seal coat.  Lucky for us, a crash was not in the cards and the sun came out in the afternoon just in time for two demos on Friday night.  The weather had done its’ job and scared away a lot of potential spectators, but being right off a major highway earned us some walk-ins.  Saturday dawned bright and beautiful, a perfect day for riding; and with the music was bumping, the riders poured in and we put on a couple of great demos for all involved.  We had a nice contingent of loyal BMW customers, some of whom I’d performed for at various spots around the country including MotoGP and the MOA Rally, as well as quite a few sportbike riders who were anxious to see the S1000 in action.  They were not disappointed, and were treated to some free food and a high-speed show full of energy and horsepower – exactly what they were looking for.  The crowds were great and I spent quite a bit of time talking with fans before and after each show, par for the course.

Since the dealership closed at 5 and there was still plenty of light, we decided to head down the highway ten minutes to a huge lot ride put on by some of the local sportbike riders – what better place to unleash the 180hp RR than a huge warehouse lot full of guys on rockets!  Finally able to breathe some fresh air, the RR truly demonstrated why it’s the baddest bike on the planet right now.  Oftentimes the lot would clear whenever the other riders heard the rumble of the full system of the Beemer, and although it was a practice session for most, it turned into an awesome display of power and control for me – one of the best times I’ve had riding all year!   The handling and power of the RR makes it the perfect bike for any application-track, freestyle, or street; and after putting it through its’ paces, the durability was clearly evident..

A big thanks to AC and the guys at BMW of Fort Worth for the invite; we had a blast and hope to be back for next year!

Frank’s Motorcycles

The 2012 BMW dealership show season started off in fine fashion with a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Frank’s Motorcycles in Essex Junction, Vermont, just outside Burlington.  The tow vehicle arrived Friday afternoon in time to meet the guys and gals at the shop, and get a sneak peak of the performance area.  After hanging out for a bit, we managed to convince (actually, he insisted!) Lester the owner to take us out for a fancy steak dinner accompanied by some brews and epic stories.  Usually we reserve this type of action for after the show, but we decided to kick things off in fine fashion.  Frank’s is only a stones’ throw away from headquarters in Southern Maine, so we had planned to head back ‘home’ after the show on Saturday in time to shred some laps on the mx bike Sunday afternoon.

The show went off without a hitch and it felt like we never even had a winter break…wait, winter never really came this year did it?!  The crowd that showed up was comprised primarily of new prospects who had never been to Frank’s before.  Some were from Canada (thanks for the support and sorry I couldn’t make it last year) and a bunch were potential conquest customers on a variety of sportbikes.  I spent the day performing twice and chatting up my fans about the variety of BMW offerings that Lester had on display, including the new and improved 2012 BMW S1000RR.  The GS continues to take a beating and the RR performed flawlessly with my new scheme for the season – a freestyle bike with full fairing, headlights, and taillights!  We already have plans to return for some off-road GS action and possibly some boondocking on the snowmobiles next winter!  As usual, we had a few late arrivals so I took the opportunity to jump back on the bikes for a quick private show for the remaining customers who came to the show too late.

All in all it was a great first event and the turnout was excellent for a small shop in Vermont.  The folks at Frank’s were fantastic with both myself and the customers, and I think we all ate them out of house and home.  The show continues next week as we get on the road for a solid month with a  trip down to Fort Worth, TX. 

Be sure to keep an eye on my website, www.teachtrix.com as well as my Facebook: www.facebook.com/christeachmcneiland Twitter: TeachMcNeil for all the latest news and behind the scenes pictures and vids, it is going to be an awesome season!

Get Some!

Chris ‘Teach’ McNeil